Troubled Pets Welcomed Into Homes

By Kendra Bobowick

Chevy is a swirl of dark and light brown with hints of Rotweiler in his posture and hard-edged face. Since April 29, 2007, he has pressed his nose against the chain-link fence and peered at visitors entering the Newtown Dog Pound. But until a couple weeks ago, no one took him home.

“We thought he’d be here forever,” said Animal Control Officer Carolee Mason. She and Assistant Animal Control Officer Matthew Schaub both were surprised when Kristen Whelan adopted him.

Mr Schaub said, “I thought, he’s getting older and older and no one is looking twice, then the next thing I know she adopts him.” At the pound for three years, Chevy was almost 4 when he arrived — rescued from unfortunate living conditions.

“I am so glad someone had the opportunity to adopt him. It shows that as long as the animals might be here, there is still hope,” Ms Mason said.

Walking from the front office cramped with visitors’ chairs and a work desk, Mr Schaub and Ms Mason entered the hall of kennels and barking started as dogs jumped up for attention. The noisy room was formerly Chevy’s home with a water bowl and door to get outside. “He’ll live his life out on a couch and he deserves it,” Ms Mason said.

Chevy started off  “a very sad dog,” when Ms Mason first noticed him and began to worry. He was caged or chained for four years and his collar and leash had rusted and fused together, she said. “He was way in the back of the property at had a four- or five-foot run; the dog house was rotted,” she explained. The owners would not sign over the dog and as he got older, “They put him out back and forgot about him,” said Ms Mason. “I would bring him treats, blankets.” Finally one family member contacted the dog pound and signed Chevy into Ms Mason’s care.

“I’ll never forget the day I cut that chain with the bolt cutters,” she said.” Everybody was afraid he would take a bite out of my arm, but he didn’t; he was happy like a puppy.”

Even Mr Schaub became attached to Chevy. “I really liked that dog.” Sadly, Chevy had bedsores and bare spots that never entirely healed, but his demeanor warmed with people and care at the pound.

“The contact and people touching him, I think that was a huge step,” Mr Schaub said. At the pound he received food, treats, heat, a roof, which improved his health overall, Ms Mason explained. “Chevy had a rough, rough life, but being here made him a better dog,” Ms Mason said.

Also a surprise adoption was Iris, a blind cat that had been without a home for some time. Dr Elsa George from Dental Associates took her. “That was something,” Ms Mason said. “There are people who will love disadvantaged animals. The Animal Center of Newtown helped with Iris’s exams before adoption.

Ms Mason reminds that adoption is a big responsibility and will take time for adjustments for the family and the pet, and patience. “You have to give it a few months,” she said. “There is the transition, and you have to be committed.”

Mr Schaub added, “For some reason we have these [animals] and by the time they get to your house there have been many changes.”

Months are needed to get used to a new home, Ms Mason said, and training can make “such a difference.”